Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1887-06-19

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Andrew Jaekeon;s horse, X c0nfdens nAd
MS friends been of winning the race
Martin Van Buren, bad a fine trrnout
While he vas in the White House. Ills
carriage was Of a dark olive hue, with or
naments as bright rs FURNISHED gold. He
had a footman and e0achman in livery,
aud he rode about in grand style.
Jackson $ treat love for his wife came
ous in relation to horses. He boughs Res
her, it Is said, rhe f1est cOact IL Ten
nessee, laying Tor it 81, 50C, and he highly
priced this coach In after yesEE. he had
il With him at Washington, and woEh
ride in no Other. At one time his horses
ran away wis il, and it was brought back
considerably damaged. Jackson was very
angry, and his private secretary heard him
say 10 mis- black eOachman: Charles,
Won know why / value that carriage?
This is the second time that such an acct
dent has happened, and if it ever occurs
again l will send you back to Tennessee
Just before Jackson left the Presidency
he received a present of a carriage made
from the timber of the Constitution, which
had taken part in the war against Great
Britain in 1912, and had been dubbed Old
Ironsides. During the last Presidential
term Of Jackson the old vessel went to
pieces and the Democracy OF New York
city gathered the timbers together and
made a handsome carriage from them. 1t
was in this carriage that General Jackson
and P~resident-elect Van Buren, rode to the
Cspito! from the White House to Van
Buren's Inauguration, and it is said that
this old carriage is now in the possession
of q storekeeper in a little Georgia vii
lage.
When Harrison came to Washington to
be inacgurated, he walked from the depot
into the city, and on the day Of his lnaug-
uratiCl refused to ride in q fine carriage
which, with its four fiery horses, had heen
presented to him for this purpose by the
Wings of Baltimore. General Harrison
had pronounced ideas Of his " as to how
the president of the United States should
act and speak. He thought it was more
becoming for the president to ride to his
Inauguration on horseback, as the Roman
emperOrs used to pass alon the Appian Way.
So he refused the carriage, and, though the
Gay WITS cold and windy, be rode both ont
and back upon a white charger, wesT-
ing no OvercOat, and carrying his hat in
his hand as he did so. He was escorted by
the military, but the raw, cold air chilled
the marrow of his old bones, and it is the
opinion of many that the exposure of that
day had much TO do with Fastening his
death, which occurred q few weeks later.
President Tyler brought to the White
House the customs of his old Virginia
home. A great deGl Of comment was made
on one OF his carriages, which was bought
at the sale Of the effect of Mr.. Paulding,
the secretary of the navy under Van Buren,.
1t is said that President Tyler asked his
Irish coachman what the people would
think Of his using q secondhand carriage,
to which the coaChman responded:
"And faith, Mr.. President, it seems to
me a secondhand carriage would not be
out of place for you. For you know that
some people say that you are DULY a sec
ORd-hand President"
President Polk kept q good turnout at
Washington. He had q carriage of dark
olive, highly polished, and with gilt Sord-
ers around the panel work. The cushions
of the interior were of rich figured crimson
cloth with lace trimmings, and the win
dOws had curtains of blue and red figured
stuff. He drove four horses, and his equip
age was one of the sights.
President Zach Taylor brought TO Wash
ington the old horse which ne hfa used in
tn Mexican wal. He was fine looking
\ rse, as white as snow, and all OF spirit;
priCked up IS ears at N rial ,usic,
a a followed the remains of his u Sster the
Egrave, being led directly behind the funeral
car, which was drawn by eight white
horses.
During the administration of Pierce the
Presidents stables were directly below the
White House, and they were in charge of
6 gray-haired cOachman who still lives in
! Washington, and who delights in talking
of the Presidents he has servsd. "Presi-
dent Pierce" he says, twas a fine horse
back rider, and l can see him now as he
used to walk down to the stables every
morning with his whip in his hand. He
would come in and pat the horses and say:
"Well, Thomas, will You saddle my horse
for me, please?" and then he would strOl!
away to look at the garden, which then lay
between the White House and the treas.
ury, while his horse was being prep"red
for him.
President Buchanan" continued the
old cOachman, had a magnificent turnout,
and ore of his sets of harness cost him
$3.50. 1t was as a present for him by g
Philadelphia, but it was President
B~uchanan's custom not TO receive presents,
and when the donor brought il to the
White House Buchanan asked him w t is
cost to make it. The reply wGs, $500.
Buchanan at once wrote outa checkfOr he
amount and made the man take it.
President Buchanan drove but seldom,
and he never rode on hOr 9back. His niece,
Harriet Lane, was the chief one who used
the stables. She wa fond of the saddle,
and ] was her groom on such occasions.
She would often make up a party of ten
girls, and they would canter away from the
White House door for 10 or 10 miles into
the country about Washington. President
Johnson bought his horses from those
which the army sold at the clOse of the wal.
He was very careful in keeping an account
of their expenses, and he paid himself for
every cents worth of feed they used. He
kept eight horses, and n of his teams was
very fine. 1t consisted of a pair Of fiery
blacks, with skin like jet, and eyes which
flashed with spirit
Mrs. Lincoln managed all matters re-
lating to the household and stables, and
engaged and dismissed the servants, and
she was not the easiest woman to get along
with, either. l was not her coachman,
however. During Lincoln's administra-
ton / acted rs coachman for the two pri-
vate secretaries, Col. John Hay and MIR.
Nicolay. During the administration |
often had to drive Mr.. Lincoln here and
there, and l often took him to the Soldiers
Home. He had a troubled look during
those days and talked but little. Mrs.
Lincoln kept the poorest horses of any ad-
m~inistratiOn | served under"
President Grants love for horses has be-
come proverbial. He had beer noted as a
hOrseman long before he came TO the White
House, and at the time he was elected he
had a stock farm near st. Louis, where, it
is said, he kept more than 100 horses. He
drove the best Of horses while he was
President, and his fayorites occupied a